When you sit back and think about the changes that have been made in technology over the past few years, it is quite amazing. It was not that long ago that home phones were more common than mobile phones. However, now almost everyone has a mobile phone and many people do not have a landline. The same can be said for newer technologies such as Google Home or Amazon Echo. These were novelties in the year 2017, with only about seven percent of households in the United States owning one. By the spring of 2018, this number had grown to 20 percent. It is predicted that by 2020 around 75 percent of households will own them.
Households that own a smart speaker state that using it has become an essential part of their day. This is because people who spend the money to own one, want to use it. This embracing of technology is something that all companies should be aware of and should use to their advantage when it comes to marketing their products. In fact, the adoption of artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and augmented reality are all going to be essential parts of how businesses are run.
Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and AI for Business
Currently, the use of augmented reality, virtual reality, and AI is somewhat limited. However, it will not be long before these are all going to be essential parts of how businesses function. In fact, there are several companies that have already started using these technologies for different aspects of these throughout their business.
One company that has started using virtual reality is Walmart. This is a big deal when you consider that Walmart is one of the largest employers and distributors of goods in the world. The company has equipped each of its stores with virtual reality headsets that are to be used to train employees. In just one year the sale of virtual reality headsets has increased by 31 percent in the past year. It is expected that the sales for these headsets will continue to grow by 88 percent each year through 2022. This is according to a study that was conducted by International Data Corporation.
While it may seem that widespread adoption of these technologies may be far off, but it really is not. This is going to take over quite quickly, which is why it is important to imagine how these tools can help make what your company does more effective and easier. Here are four ways companies are already embracing augmented reality, virtual reality, and AI right now. You can use these for inspiration on how to embrace these technologies and use them for your business.
1. Amazon Echo: More than a Home Speaker
When smart speakers such as Amazon’s echo were first introduced, they were meant to be used within the home. These devices allow you to get information, control other devices, and listen to music all by just talking to the device. However, these devices are evolving. According to Amazon, the company is going to start developing echo for vehicles along with several other new applications. In addition, Alexa, which is the AI assistant found in Echo, has recently expanded its capabilities. These changes should make Alexa more helpful and conversational.
As a business it is a good idea to consider how to integrate your products or services with smart speakers. Consider how to optimize your copy for search engine optimization that is voice enabled. Think about how you can utilize the Echo and other similar products for marketing your business.
2. See, Snap, Buy!
Have you ever been out and about and noticed someone wearing a great pair of shoes that you really want to buy? Maybe you see someone in a fun shirt that you would like to have. It used to be that in order to find out where the person purchased the shoes or the shirt you would have to ask them. That could be an awkward conversation. The good news is that it is now as easy as a snap to find out where they got those great shoes. Simply open up Snapchat and take a picture. You will then be directed to Amazon’s site in order to purchase the exact item. This is all accomplished using the vision tech from Amazon’s machine.
In order to compete in the business world, you will need to consider how your brand can be competitive in visual searches. It is also important to consider how your company can make it easier for people to not only identify, but also digitally connect to your current and potential clients.
3. Creating Smarter Ads
When it comes to marketing it is important to work smarter and not harder. One of the best things that you can do when creating a marketing campaign is to create smart ads. One company that did just that is Subway. Subway used AI technology in order to create ads that were based on the local weather. These ads allowed the company to make changes, such as not promoting the hot items on their menu when it was hot outside. The company saw a 31 percent increase of store traffic and a 53 percent reduction in their campaign waste as well.
Consider what type of data that your company could use in order to create smarter ads that are relevant to your business.
4. Creating a Virtual Experience
It has been found that the majority of consumers feel more confident purchasing a product when they can try it first. This can be difficult for companies that are selling online as the only way to try the product is to have it in person. This is where virtual reality or augmented reality can help by developing a virtual experience for the end user. One company that has used this first hand is L’Oreal Paris. The company now allows consumers to try more than 300 samples of their products using augmented reality.
While this is something that is easy for a big company to do, small companies can get in on this as well. Shopify will allow small business to upload several product images to create 3D product models to use as advertisement.
